The Storm of the Century
by Hatchspeut
Summary: PRMF. A storm is coming to Briarwood and as the rangers will discover, it is not the usual kind of storm . . . T-rated for minor adult themes in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: As always, I do not own Power Rangers.

AUTHOR: So, this story has been on my mind for quite some time now – about 3 years, I think. It has taken some time to complete it since it is a longer story (17 chapters including the epilogue) but I'm finally ready to let you guys read it. The intention is to post a new chapter every week. Hope you'll enjoy it!

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**Chapter 1: Something about this storm**

It was believed to be the storm of the century. As Madison drove through downtown Briarwood, she wondered if this was apocalypse coming. Everywhere she looked she saw people getting ready for what news caster on CNN described as "some turbulent couple of days ahead".

Restaurants were closing up, chairs and tables from the outdoors seating areas already dismounted and carried inside. The small boutiques along the main street had flipped the sign from open to closed, curtains pulled down and doors and windows neatly barred. Outside the grocery stores the line of anxious citizens, eager to get their hand on whatever supplies were left, grew more irritable by the minute.

On the local radio channel, they talked about nothing else but the upcoming storm. Madison turned down the volume as she waited for a red light to switch to green. She did not need any more reminders of the last storm hitting Briarwood, she'd had plenty of that during her childhood. Thirteen citizens dead, several hundred families homeless, and destruction of building worth millions of dollars in less than 48 hours; the storm that had hit Briarwood nearly twenty years ago had left a permanent scar in the city soul. Every year, just as school started, the town major held a memorial ceremony down at the city hall to honour all those brave men and women who had risked their lives to save the city and its people from extinction.

Madison's dad had been among those brave people. Back then he had only been a regular police officer and not the head of Briarwood Police Department but he had put his life on the line and fought alongside the army and civilians to keep the water from flooding the streets. It had nearly cost him his life.

Madison was too young to remember any of it. Being only an infant at the time, she and her sister had waited out the storm in their cradles with their mother in the house they had rented back then. She had heard the stories, though; all too many times to ever be able to forget them.

The people of Briarwood had learnt their lesson since then. The shoreline districts had already been closed off and evacuated to safer grounds. The military patrolled the streets to keep burglars and people with too little sense for their own good away. The harbour had secured the larger ships to the docks with twice the amount of chains than usual. And from what Madison understood from the radio before she turned it off, air traffic was being rerouted to other cities.

Yes, the feeling that the world was coming to an end grew stronger every second. Madison rubbed her arms to suppress the goose bumps. She could not wait to get back to the sturdy house upon the hillside her family lived in nowadays. Brown and coarse to the skin, it reminded Madison of a giant toad looking out over Briarwood with its huge panorama windows as eyes. It was not a pretty house but it laid somewhat sheltered and that had been the important part for her dad when he had bought it just a few months after the last storm.

Her dad's confidence in the house was the only reason he and Madison's mom had not ended their twenty-five years as married anniversary trip to Hawaii to come home and tend to their daughters. Well, that and Vida's reassurance that they would not wait out the storm alone but have friends over. Of course, if their father had known the friends were all males and at least one of them was everything he loathed in young men, Madison was sure he would have jumped on the first plane back to the main land before either Madison or her twin sister could breathe the forbidden word 'boyfriend'.

Madison sighed as she left the central parts of town behind her and started the climb up the hill on less jammed streets. A light rain had begun to fall from the iron coloured sky, leaving a soft spray of droplets on the windshield for Madison to remove with the wipers. Before the day was over, that soft spray would turn into a waterfall. Madison could feel it.

A sudden shiver made her shift her holding of the steering wheel. There was something about this storm tugging on her senses, making her restless. It had been like this for days, ever since the storm was first reported as something building up out at sea. Madison could not quite explain it, what it was or where it came from, but it was crawling underneath her skin. She had tried to ignore it but to no use. The feeling was not going away.

There were other things making her restless, too. Nick, for instance.

Nick had been back from his trip overseas to visit his adoptive parents for a week and a day, and during that one week and one day she not had been able to snatch a moment alone with him – not even once. From the moment he had walked into Rock Porium, looking as handsome as ever, there had always been someone around him. If it wasn't her sister, it was Chip. If it wasn't Chip, it was Xander or Leelee or Toby or Phineas. . . Always someone that wasn't her.

Madison bit back a curse. It wasn't as if she had not tried, she had, but it had not been that easy picking up where they left off as she had hoped. Three months was a long time for someone to be gone for, a lot happened in three months. A lot of thinking to be tormented by. . .

"_I'd like to come back if there's something, or _someone_, to come back for."_

Oh, how those words had haunted her! For the last three months Madison had barely gotten any sleep because of the sweet, tormenting memory of their goodbye. How many times hadn't she repeated the words they had spoken in her head, tried to alternate them and given them different meanings to make him stay? Countless.

What had he meant by giving her his baby blanket? Was it what she hoped it meant or something else entirely?

Madison sighed deeply as she drove up the drive way leading up to the huge brown house. Nick had promised to come; Vida had practically threatened to destroy his motorcycle if he didn't. Maybe, just maybe, a couple of days trapped together in a storm would be what she needed to get the answered she wanted. Just maybe.

She made it up the driveway and hit the big button on her key ring that opened the garage door for her. Once inside, she pulled the parking brake and killed the engine. One push with her thumb on the seat belt and she was out of the car. For a moment she stood there inside the garage looking out over the lawn and the upset sea beyond.

There was something about this storm. . .


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Dwelling is not for the brave**

"That's the last one. We're done," Nick announced as he shoved the last card box into place on the newly assembled shelf in the backroom.

His arms ached from all the lifting he had done since this morning. He had not realised how much things were stuffed into Rock Porium until he had seen it packed away into boxes. Just Toby's private autograph collection alone filled no less than three huge boxes. Nick had carefully placed those boxes on the top shelf knowing how Toby would cry for months if anything happened to them.

"All's set out here too."

Xander came into the backroom from the store and whistled. "I never thought we would get this done in time, but hey, I'm not complaining. The rain can flood the floor all it wants but unless it doesn't get higher than two feet, nothing will be ruined. Toby, you may kiss our feet."

"Or he'll just say we just did our job for once." Chip had followed in Xander's trail. "Any news from the newlyweds, by the way?"

"Only a text from Leelee this morning saying that Toby and her mom enjoys the Brazilian beaches while Leelee herself struggles to keep Phineas from drinking the pool water. Oh, and that we should take care during the storm. Who would have thought the queen of the vampires would enjoy the sun!" Xander chuckled and got the dreamy look in his eyes which he always got when he was thinking of Leelee's mom.

"Get over yourself. She's a married woman now." Chip elbowed his friend.

"Can't help it," Xander said to his defence. "Leelee's mom is hot!"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. How he had missed this. The gibbering, the laughs between friends, the friends . . .

"So, what the plan for tonight?" he asked, putting an end for the squabble he knew would be coming. "When heading over to the girls?"

Chip threw Xander one last sharp look before answering.

"Vida said we can come as soon as we're done here. She's been buying snacks and drinks all day. Everything we might need to wait out the storm."

Xander nodded. "If I know V she's probably turned the whole house into big slumber party."

"A sleepover?" Nick croaked. "With pyjamas and stuff?"

"Yeah," Chip and Xander said with one mouth. Then Xander added teasingly: "Why, sleeping naked?"

Almost, Nick thought gloomy for himself. That was a side effect of being fireborn. Nick was warmer than most people. Even as a child, he had slept in nothing but his boxers. Of course, back then he had not known he was fireborn.

A sleepover in just his boxers . . . Nick was not so sure if he was comfortable with that.

"We always have sleepovers when there's a storm coming in," Chip explained when Nick didn't say anything.

Xander nodded in agreement. "On my first winter here, we had hot chocolate and s'mores in front of the hearth while a snowstorm raged outside. If there's something Vida's great at, it's throwing waiting-out-a-storm parties."

When Nick did not immediately join in on the cheerful spirits, Chip got worried.

"You are coming, right, Nick?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course I'll come," Nick lied. "I just wasn't expecting a slumber party, that's all."

Truth be told, he didn't know what he had expected when Vida had invited him. He had been too busy being disappointed that it had been her bringing him the invitation and not Madison.

Being back a week, he had not gotten the chance to speak with Madison yet. Was she mad, upset, happy. . . to see him again? Nick had no idea. He did not mind spending an evening in her company but a whole night and probably a few days after that if he was to believe the weather report, that was a long time to spend in someone company whom you were not sure wanted you there.

Suddenly Nick felt an urge to call his adoptive mother for advice. After all, it was her encouraging words that had gotten him to return to Briarwood after all.

_Like so many times before during the last few months, Nick sat fiddling with his phone on the bed in the room his adoptive parents had put in place for him upon his unexpected arrival. The room usually served as a working space for his adoptive father. Shelves overloaded with folders stood all around the four walls, leaving Nick and the bed in the middle of the room. _

_Every now and then his fingers dialled the number he could not get the courage to call. Every time he dialled it, he stared at it for a few second – thumb dangling dangerously close to the call-button – before his courage failed him and he erased the number. _

_He was doing so even now when a female voice suddenly spoke nearby._

"_Who is she?"_

_Nick dropped his phone in surprise. Patting the duvet in order to retrieve it, he looked up and found his adoptive mother looking back at him with an eyebrow raised and a smile hidden at the corners of her mouth._

"_Who?" Nick played ignorant, although he knew his mother could probably read his bluff. It was an annoying habit she had._

"_The girl you're trying to work up the courage to call." _

_His mother tilted her head. Some said she looked birdlike when she did that, like a falcon with her delicately curved nose and high cheekbones. Nick simply thought her beautiful with the blond hair coming down over the shoulder, straight and neatly combed to perfection. Her eyes, same emerald green as his own, watched him intently. _

_Her eyes were what had kept Nick believing the lie of her being his biological mother for so long. In them, he had once thought he had seen himself. It wasn't until his twelfth birthday that he had discovered the truth. He had been searching for his birthday present __–__ to check if his parents had bought him the tickets to the motorcycle event he had wanted to go to or not __–__ when he had found the adoption papers. Nick would never admit it but finding those papers had broken his heart. That had been the beginning of the transformation into the lone wolf he had been before coming to Briarwood._

_Is she pretty?" his adoptive mother wondered. "Would I like her if I met her?"_

_Nick sat there speechless, equal parts shock of being caught pining and of hearing someone addressing the very same pining. _

"_Her name is Madison," he heard himself say and immediately cursed himself for doing it. Now there wasn't any going back. "She's one of the friends I made in Briarwood."_

"_Madison." His mother tasted the name. "Your mystic mermaid."_

_She laughed at his confusion. _

"_Oh honey, you are twenty years old but you still talk in your sleep when you're distressed. Although, I must say I was pretty surprised when you started to rant about mermaids, I didn't know they were your thing. May I come in?"_

_Nick nodded slowly, a blush colouring his cheeks. His adoptive mother came over to sit on the bed._

"_So, tell me about her. What is she like? I want to know what kind of girl has put a spell my sweet little boy's heart."_

_Nick didn't know why, perhaps it was the yearning of reconnecting with his mother__—__God knew things had been strained between them ever since his return__—__or the need of confiding in someone before he went crazy. Whatever it was it loosened the leash on his tongue and he ended up telling her everything __–__ about how he had met the others, about how he had finally made some friends and, of course, about his feelings for Madison. His mother listened patiently to his ramblings, smiling and nodded encouraging to him to keep talking. _

"_She gets me, you know. Even when I don't get me myself, she does. And she challenges me. She makes me want to do better and she doesn't let me quit." Nick chuckled as the memory of Madison yelling at him not to give up as Red Ranger surfaced his mind. She had been so fierce in that moment. He had seen fire in her eyes. She, who was Blue and ruled the seas, for a moment she had been the Red Ranger._

_Next to him on the bed, his mother smiled._

"_She sounds like a lovely girl. I would like to meet her someday."_

_Nick's heart sank._

"_She probably doesn't want anything to do with me. I kind of left her there."_

_He remembered how she had clutched the baby blanket to her chest as he drove off, held it to her heart as it was made of glass. He didn't even know why he had given her the blanket, just that it had felt important._

_His mother reached out and cupped his chin with her hands. She looked him deeply in the eyes._

"_If you never tell her how you feel you will never know what she responds. From what you have told me, it seems to me like Madison is a patient woman. She won't wait for you forever but she won't give up on you that easily either. If being with her is what you want then you should go back and find out how she feels about you." _

And back was where he had gone. A silly part of him had imagined Madison to lit up like the sun and throw herself in his arms when he had walked into Rock Porium, but all she had done was to stand there and stare at him like she had seen a ghost. It had been the others who had thrown themselves at him. And now those others excepted him to spend several days in Madison's company like nothing had happened between them.

Nick looked at Chip and Xander, and realized he had spaced out for a second. Deciding that spending a few days in closed confinement with Madison must present the moment alone with her that he desperately needed, Nick put on a brave face and smiled.

"I'll be there. I just need to pick up a few things first."

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AUTHOR: Don't forget to leave a comment below


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Between snickers and soda cans**

"Sis?" Madison called out as soon as she entered the house. She dropped the car-keys on the chest of drawers next to the door, along with her bag and Rock Porium shirt.

"Sis!" she called again, a little louder this time.

"I'm in the kitchen," came the distant reply.

Madison traced it to its source.

"Did you remember to pick up – wow, what is all this?" Madison stopped in her tracks the moment she came around the corner and saw the huge pile of groceries on the kitchen island. Her sister stood in the midst of it, head buried deep into the fridge.

"Food."

Madison folded her arms. "No, food was what I told you to buy. This is robbing a candy store."

Jell-O, chocolate puddings, pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, Snickers, Doritos, M&Ms, Skittles, Twizzlers, goldbears, fudge, Jelly Belly, lolli-pops. . . Madison had never seen so much snacks in one place before.

"When are we supposed to eat all this? Lolli-pops, seriously? We haven't had lolli-pops since kindergarten."

Vida chuckled with her mouth full of licorice. "We have three hungry boys coming over and we'll be huddled up here for days. I'll be surprised if we have enough candy."

Straightening, Vida held up a package for Madison to see. "Do you think mom's diet drinks need to be in the fridge? We're sort of short of space." Vida removed the cap and sniffed. "Ew, plum juice! No way we're keeping that!"

Madison watched her sister toss the half full package into the sink. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Please tell me you at least glanced at my part of the list."

With her head back in the fridge Vida replied, "Yes, yes, I looked at it and I even bought some of it."

"What did you buy more specifically?" Madison clenched her teeth; it was all she could do not to growl at her sister. She had spent a whole night planning a menu that would not only chase the hunger away but also keep them warm and cosy if the heater went out. It would be just her luck if her erratic twin had bought stuff randomly off the list.

"Things for mom's risotto recipe and grandpa's chili-thing."

"And the meatloaf?"

"I replaced it with mac 'n' cheese. How was work, by the way? Did you guys finish?"

Madison rolled her eyes and sighed. She should have known. Vida hated meatloaf ever since their father forced them to eat it every day for a week when their mom had injured her back and was forced to be bed-bound. Apparently, meatloaf was the only edible thing their father could cook.

"Almost," Madison said and sat down on a chair. "They had some boxes left in the back room to take care of but Xander said they could manage without me, so here I am."

"Great, so they'll be here soon then?"

"I suppose so."

Vida must have heard the troubled sigh Madison had tried to keep away from her voice, the former Pink Ranger glanced over her shoulder.

"What's up, sis? Don't tell me Nick, that little weasel, has pulled out. He's been snuggling up with mommy and daddy for far too long. It'll do him good to hang out with us for the weekend."

Madison smiled but it was only halfheartedly.

"Would you blame him if he wanted to stay with Udonna and Leanbow? They're his parents. Up until a few months ago, he thought he would never know his birth-parents."

Vida snorted inside the fridge.

"It doesn't suit Nick to be a momma's boy. He must be dying to get out of that tree house."

Madison shook her head. "Clare is in that tree house, too. And Daggeron. Nick hasn't seen either of them in a while."

"Daggeron is away on some secret mission," Vida replied with a frown. "Chip told me. Said there was trouble in the magical world, but I think there's a woman involved. And Nick has had chance to catch up with Clare all week. It's our turn now. No, Nick has to come."

With that, Vida straightened and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Madison sighed. She wished she had her sister's confidence in their mutual friend. Nick had been a complete mystery to her ever since he got back. A mystery so impenetrable that Madison wondered if it had not been better if Nick had not returned at all. At least then, she would have had the sweet memory of there being a deeper connection between them to hold onto.

"I'm going to take a shower," Madison told her sister. "Will you manage here?"

Vida peered up from one of the paper bags with groceries, a long tail of licorice hanging out from her mouth.

"Yeah, sure."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Raindrops on the visor**

The traffic downtown was crazy. Nick wished he had gone with the others directly to the girls' place and not insisted on going to his sister's place first. Every street, every corner, was jammed. Drivers honked their horn, people yelled and more than one person waved their hands angrily at someone who annoyed them.

Nick tried his best to stay clear from the madness by driving slowly passed the long rows of cars. He was glad he had told Chip and Xander to leave the closing of Rock Porium to him, it was difficult as it was to get anywhere on a motorcycle, with a car it was next to impossible.

Nick hoped he would get to his sister's place before the rain started to pour down. The sky looked dangerously black. The soft spray already falling had turned his jeans damp. The jacket kept him dry up top but it wouldn't stand heavier rain. But then again, it was leather jacket and not a rain coat.

He was going over what to pack once he got to his sister's place in his head. Apart from something comfortable to sleep in he needed clothes and clean underwear to last at least three days. Vida hadn't said anything about bringing a sleeping bag or a pillow but Nick assumed that was standard equipment for sleepovers.

The thought of sleeping over at the girls' house made him nervous. He had only been in the brown house on the hill once before and it had only been for a quick visit with Chip. They had been out of the house the moment Vida had spotted her father's car coming up the road. Nick had never met Mr Rocca, but that incident had left him scared of heading over there.

Xander was terrified of the man. The former Green Ranger had never told Nick straight out what had happened between him and Mr Rocca but Nick understood that much that there was bad blood between the two of them. Very bad blood. So for Xander to be calm as a yoga instructor on sedatives when they had parted earlier, Nick took as a sign that Vida and Maddy's parents were not going to be there. And that was a small comfort.

It took him forty minutes the drive a ten-minute distance to his sister's apartment. In that time, Nick had nearly been run over by stressed truck drivers twice. As he jumped into the elevator and pressed the button for his sister's floor, he was very happy to be alive.

"There you are!" His sister came towards him the second he stepped inside the modern apartment. "I was just about to call you. How's the traffic? They say all the major exits are jammed."

Nick told her of the ordeal to get back to the apartment.

"How are we ever going to get out of here?" she sighed. "We were supposed to leave an hour ago but Missy keeps running away and hide from us. Noah is trying to convince her to come out from under the bed."

Missy was Nick's sister and her spouse's kitten. The poor thing must have sensed its owners' worries and decided to run like everyone else. Nick had only heard about the last huge storm hitting Briarwood in passing but it was enough to know that Noah had traumatic memories of the event, having lived his whole life in the city. To leave had most likely been his idea, since the apartment wasn't in any of the endangered zones.

"Take the smaller roads up in the mountain," Nick told her. "Everyone wants to get to the highway. I, myself, is heading uphill. If you want, I could lead the way."

His sister gave him a thankful smile. Both of them knew she and Noah had no sense of direction at all and would probably end of up lost in the eye of the storm if Nick didn't help them on their way. Nick, himself, had cruised the street of the city and its countryside so many times to know every quirk and turn.

"Gotcha!" Noah shouted in the bedroom. A moment later the sandy blonde accountant joined them in the hall. "Oh, Nick! I didn't hear you come in, waz up bro?"

Nick bit back a sigh. Sometimes he wondered what his sister saw in Noah, and maybe even more, what Noah's boss saw in Noah. The dude was handsome as an underwear model for sure, but he was as brainless as a jellyfish. How the guy was allowed to handle money was beyond Nick's imagination.

"I'm good, bro," Nick replied without his heart in it, then turned to his sister before Noah could say something else stupid. "I'll just pack really quick and then we can be on our way. You're all set?"

"Now we are." His sister took Missy out of Noah's hand and put the animal in the transportation box.

Nick hurried to the room he had used as his bedroom during his last stay in Briarwood. Since he hadn't planned for the trip overseas to span over three months, he had left most of his clothes at his sister's place. Finding a bag fit for the purpose, Nick started to pack whatever he thought he might be need for the weekend.

He still wasn't sure this sleeping-over-thing was a good idea. He had never liked sleeping over at friends, mostly because sleepovers made friendships deeper and deeper friendships hurt more to lose when his parents decided it was time to move. This time around, though; he wasn't going away, he was coming back. He had come back to be with Madison.

Nick glanced at a picture standing on his nightstand and sighed.

It was a picture Toby had taken of them at Rock Porium only days before the final battle. Chip, Vida and Xander were the centre of attention, goofing around and making faces at the camera as they always were, with Nick and Madison standing together slightly off to the side. Neither of them had been prepared. He must just have said something for Madison was looking at him genuine smile.

Back then they had had a connection, they had understood each other. Now, there was only confusion . . .

"Nick, are you coming? The weather is getting worse," his sister called from the room next door.

Nick threw the picture one last look. He was going to find that connection again.

"Coming!"

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AUTHOR: Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A goddess in black and pink**

Vida beamed with happiness. Everything was finally coming together. All of her closest friends were together again after months apart and they would celebrate it with the best thing in the world — a sleepover party that would last for days. Vida almost believed the storm was a gift sent from above. She could not have planned it better herself, with Nick just returned and all. It was the perfect time to reconnect.

The months the team had been apart had been horrible. Even if it had only been Nick who had been away something very important had been missing. From the moment he had driven out of Briarwood, the team had started to dissolve. Madison, grieving her broken heart, had become moodier and turned inwards. Xander, now a manager, had spent most of his waking hours at the store 'supervising'. And Chip, still intent on being a knight despite his lack of magic powers, had been practicing his archery with such determination Vida had felt it pointless to even suggest hanging out. She, herself, had spent so much time behind her turntables – sulking – her fingertips had gotten blisters.

Nick's return, though, would set everything straight again.

"This weekend has to be perfect," Vida told her reflection in the bedroom mirror.

She liked what she saw. The snug silk top with matching shorts fit her body like a glove. She had bought it just for this occasion. It was a sexy piece of black nightwear, probably something that would give her father a heart attack if he ever saw it on her and would have him drop dead on the spot if he knew she would be wearing it in the presence of boys. But Vida didn't care. She had not bought it to impress the boys — if they looked it was only a bonus — she had bought it because of how it made her feel. Invincible. A goddess.

The sound of a car approaching on the road outside had Vida snap out of her daydreams. The boys were here!

She slipped on her fuzzy slippers, same pink shade as her hair, and ran out in the corridor, almost crashing into Madison, who just had come out from the bathroom.

"Whoa there, sis . . ." Madison's eyes widened. "Is that what you're going to wear tonight?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Vida made a gesture to the towel Madison had wrapped herself in and grinned. "The boys are here."

Madison tensed.

"I'm not even dressed yet!"

Vida shrugged her shoulder. "That's what you get for occupying the shower so long."

As Vida ran downstairs, she wondered what Madison had been doing in the shower. She had been there almost an hour. Shaking the annoying thought out of her head that she probably should ask her sister about was going on lately, Vida raced to the garage to open the garage door for the boys. She wasn't surprised to see Xander behind the wheels of a sleek black car, nor him ogling her when he saw what she was wearing.

Jackpot!

"You're late!" she said accusingly.

"If you had seen the traffic, you would say we're early," Xander replied, coming out of the car. "I've never seen anything like it. It's like the morning rush times ten. Everyone is heading out of the city."

He closed the door to the driver's seat and opened the door to backseat instead. Pulling out a sport bag made him wince. "Ouch. I think I'm already starting to feel sore from all the lifting we did today."

Chip tried his own shoulders.

"I'm not feeling anything. Guess my practice with Daggeron has started to pay off. These guns are loaded"

The former Yellow Ranger flexed his biceps which made Vida want to lick her lips. His practice with Daggeron had definitely started to pay off.

To Xander, she said with a teasing giggle, "Naw, has poor little Xander worked hard today? Were the boxes too heavy for little Xander?"

Xander gave her a dark look.

"You weren't even there."

Vida stuck out her tongue, giggling. Then she turned to Chip and almost choked on her own laughter.

"What's up with your hair?" she asked when turning to Chip. His hair was a mess, pointing in every direction. It usually did but . . . not this way. "Have you rubbed yourself to a balloon, or something?"

Chip patted his head.

"For the love of God, not again!" At Vida and Xander's confusion, he added: "It's been doing this all day, for no apparent reason. It's driving me crazy!"

Xander chuckled. "I dig it. If you get the whole head looking like that and grow a moustache, you could definitely go as a convincing King Peppy from Trolls for Halloween. All it would take is for you to borrow hair dye from Vida. Phineas would be happy to get a sibling."

Vida had to fight hard to hold back the laughter when Chip gave Xander an angry glare.

"It's not funny! This . . ." Chip pointed at the hair sticking out on one side. ". . . freakin' hurts when you get into contact with metal. I was almost scorched earlier touching the handle to front door. Seriously, I'm surprised it didn't leave a mark!"

Before Xander got the chance to make a witty comment, Vida interrupted.

"Hey, you guys. Chillax! I'm sure there's just a lot of statics in the air from the storm. Let's head inside so I can show you what I have prepared. I promise you; this party is going to be legendary!"

"Oh, I like the sound of that", Chip said and grinned. Irritation already forgotten.

As if the weather gods had heard him, a loud rumble rolled in over the hills and the soft spray of rain turned into a downpour. The three friends stood silent and watched the raindrops splash against the driveway with a strange feeling in their guts. None of them could quite place it but somewhere deep down they had a feeling this wasn't a regular storm.

Chip opened his mouth to voice what they all were thinking, "Poor Nick."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Droplets, skin and a leather jacket**

Madison stayed in the living where she could watch the iron coloured sky from the panorama windows while Vida dragged the boys around the house to show them the preparations she had made. Vida had indeed been busy. Madison had found her bed clear of duvet and pillow after the shower and a brand-new nightgown had been laid out for her. She decided not to wear it though. If Nick was coming, she did not want to scamper about in a nightgown. She did not want to come off as desperate.

Her sister, on the other hand, did not seem to have any trouble showing off more skin than appropriate for boys who were going to sleep over. Madison had caught both Chip and Xander ogling her sister from top to bottom on more than one occasion. Silk tank-top with spaghetti straps and shorts that barely covered her bum – what had her sister been thinking? It was all too well Vida had not bought her a matching set, Madison would never have put it on if she had.

"Sis, we're making a fire, if that's alright?"

Vida had returned from upstairs with the boys in tow, them too dressed in pajamas, and gestured towards the hearth. Madison granted her approval with a nod and a smile. A blazing fire might be just what she needed to chase away the shadows within. This storm . . . Madison couldn't wait for it to be over.

She turned back to window and immediately squinted. Something was coming up the street, a rider and his motorcycle. Her heart skipped a beat and Madison propelled into motion. She left the living room and headed towards the garage so quickly the others barely had time to turn their heads. She clicked the button on her keychain just in time for the garage door to open so Nick could roll in to shelter without stopping.

Nick parked, killed the engine and flipped back the helmet visor where condensation had already begun to form. In a matter of seconds, it would be impossible to see through the transparent plastic. His eyes shone bright green and Madison felt her heart skip a beat for the second time.

"Thanks," he shouted to her over the loud rumble from the rain. "It's raining."

He was soaking wet. The rain outside splashed against the concrete driveway. Droplets ran from his helmet, clothes and motorcycle.

"Really? I haven't noticed." Madison tried a smile but it fell flat.

"The traffic is insane," Nick told her stepping off the motorcycle. "I had to drive on the sidewalks and through parks just to get out of the city centre. I think I passed a dozen accidents on my way over here. Are Chip and Xander here yet?"

"They arrived an hour ago."

Nick's eyebrow shot straight up. He was surprised.

"They must have been lucky then. They closed the street outside Rock Porium just as I was closing up the store."

Madison frowned.

"I thought Xander would be closing, he's the manager."

Nick shrugged and said something into his helmet as he took it off.

Despite the rest of him being wet, his hair was strangely dry. The black curls she had dreamt of fondling stood in a sharp contrast to his pale skin. The cold outside had coloured his cheeks in an attractive shade of pink. Madison felt her knees grow week.

"Is it alright if I leave my bike here?"

Madison opened her mouth to suggest a better spot in the back of the garage but saw that Xander had parked so closely to her parents' SUV she could barely squeeze by herself. She sighed. So much for her parking near Vida's car . . .

"Yes, you can leave it there."

She saw Nick glance around and she knew what he must be thinking – rich kids. The garage was big enough to host three cars. With Vida's, her parents' and Xander's cars all three spots were taken. Tools and equipment hung everywhere. In the back corner, Madison's father had a pile of tires. For a kid like Nick who had moved from place to place his whole life, Madison's family must seem very rooted.

"I don't mean to be rude," Nick said suddenly, "but do you have somewhere I can hang my clothes to dry?"

Madison wanted to slap herself. Of course, he wanted to get rid of his wet clothes and here she was pondering about what he might think of her family. Coming closer to her, she could see he was cold.

"Yes, we have a bathroom just inside the house. Feel free to use the shower if you want. There is shampoo, shower gel and towels in the cupboard if you need to borrow. Are you hungry? I was thinking of maybe starting with the dinner. Vida, Chip and Xander have been stuffing themselves full with cookies so I don't trust their judgement."

Madison bit her lip to keep herself from ranting. She always ranted when she nervous, either that or being silent as a mouse. If she had dared a glance on Nick, she would have seen a smug grin on his face.

"Dinner would great", he told her. "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

They got inside and Madison showed him to the bathroom.

"You can put your clothes in the dryer, if you want. Otherwise we'll just hang it in front of the hearth. Vida is lighting it up as we speak."

"I think all except this can go into the dryer." Nick made a gesture to his jacket. Madison recognised it; it was the same white leather jacket he had worn the day he had left Briarwood. Her gaze fell on the red and the blue streaks . . . Did they mean something?

"Let me hang it up for you," she offered. She wasn't sure but the streaks look awfully similar in colour as her ranger uniform. She wanted a closer look.

Nick removed his jacket and handed it to her. Despite him looking as though he had been out in a blizzard for hours, the jacket was warm. A little while longer on his back and Madison was sure the droplets would have steamed right off . . .

"I'm—I'm gonna leave you to it," she stuttered. Her treacherous mind had suddenly jumped to disturbing images of water droplet running down warm bare skin.

Madison grabbed the jacket and fled the spot before Nick could see the blush on her cheeks.

"Why the red face?" Madison almost crashed into Vida upon returning to the living room. Thankfully, Chip and Xander was nowhere to be seen. Madison didn't need anyone else to see her like this.

Before Madison got the chance to reply, though, Vida spotted the jacket in Madison's hands and lit up.

"So, Nick made it. Great! Let's get this party started then!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Spark of joy**

Music poured from the speakers on either side of the huge stereo next to the hearth. Sexy latino vibes mixed with modern pop beats and classic rock tunes completely drenched the slamming of pots from the kitchen where Madison had begun preparing the dinner. Vida was having a blast. Swaying to the music with closed eyes, she ate popcorn from the bowl had supported on her hip.

Chip was up and about too, showing of the sword routine he'd been taught by Daggeron for Nick and Xander who were lounging on the couch.

"From _the swan across the lake_, elegant transitioning into _the crane in the sky_ . . ."

"More like _the scarecrow on the fields_," Xander snickered. Nick grinned too. "Show us the _tiger attack_ again."

"You mean _the tiger charging_?" Chip huffed annoyed.

"Yeah, whatever. That one looked cool."

"They're not supposed to look cool. They're stances. Practicing them makes you a better swordsman. They're also quite meditative. Almost like yoga."

"Ha! You never get me to do yoga, Chip. Hey, V, pass on the popcorns, will you?"

Vida sighed and held out the bowl for Xander to take. It was with some effort he did so. Grunting, as he slumped back down again.

"You know," Chip said, "If you did yoga maybe you wouldn't be so stiff."

Xander pretended like he hadn't heard what Chip said.

Nick turned to Vida.

"I've heard them talking on the news of the last huge storm hitting Briarwood. Are you sure we'll be safe here? The windows don't look storm-proof."

Vida stopped dancing to reach for her glass and nodded.

"We'll be quite safe." She took a huge gulp of soda and continued. "Dad bought this house just because of its endurance. The city takes the worst hit from the sea. If the wind should be bad, tough, there are shutters to cover the all of the larger windows. The generator out in the back have us covered if the power goes out and the hearth will keep us warm enough. I'd say we'll be well taken care off."

"You forgot to mention, you've bought us snacks to last a week." Chip grinned and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

"And Maddy's cooking."

Xander's comment had Nick glancing towards the kitchen. The other boys didn't see it but Vida did. So, there was something there, after all. Vida hadn't been sure. Since his return, her fiery friend barely been within ten feet range of her sister. Strange, considering how close to being a couple they had been before he had left.

"Will this storm be as bad as the last one, you think?" Nick wondered.

Vida shrugged.

"Maybe. They seem to think so on the news, but the city well is prepared this time around. The storm twenty years ago took everyone by surprise. That's why there was so many casualties. With half the town evacuated, I'm surprised if there will be any this time. As long as we stay cooped up in here, it can rain fire for all I care."

"Be careful what you wish for, V," Xander said. "I've seen it rain fire in Australia, it's not funny at all."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed during which the three friends born on American soil shot each other uncertain looks. They knew Australia, just like the state of California, suffered from severe forest fires every now and then, but being raised in cooler parts of the country they had never seen a forest fire up-close and didn't truly know the horrors of being in the midst of one. But they could tell by the look of their Australian friend that it was nothing to wish for to experience.

When the tension got too unbearable, the clown in the group, Chip, decided to nudge Xander playfully with the elbow to get him to snap out of his dark thoughts. However, the playfulness got side-tracked by an electric jolt emerging from Chip the moment his elbow made contact with Xander's shoulder.

"Ouch!" Chip cried.

"Ouch, yourself, thunder boy! Are you trying to electrocute me, or what? That hurt!" Xander massaged his palm.

Chip in returned massaged his shoulder while glaring at his friend.

"Serves you right for slapping me. Why did you hit me so hard? It's gonna bruise."

"I didn't hit you hard."

"Yes, you did. It hurts like . . ."

"Chip," Nick interrupted with fascination and pointed. Vida saw it too. "Your hair."

The usually unruly carrot coloured hair stood suddenly straight out from his head. When Chip moved, the hair swayed and straightened again the moment he stopped. It reminded Vida of crème brûlée.

Chip groaned. "Not again.

Vida doubled over in laughter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Viva Las Vegas**

Dinner was served about the same time as the world outside turned black. Nick's mouth had watered from the moment he had stepped out the shower and smelled the onions being fried on the stove. He was starving and whatever Madison had whipped together smelled wonderfully.

Entering the dining room with the other, Nick hoped to get seated next to Madison at the round table. Unfortunately, Vida and Xander beat him to it. The setting was nice, though. Madison had gone a great length to get the otherwise very formal dining room, relaxed and cosy. The dimmed lights and the candles created a warm, fuzzy feeling which made it feel natural to sit down on the heavy, beautifully carved wooden chair in sweatpants and t-shirt. With Chip, Vida and Xander already in their pyjamas, Madison was the one overdressed in her jeans and sweater.

The conversation was lively as they helped themselves of the delicious food. Some kind of chili stew, rich of flavour and heat, was accompanied with soft bread and a salad. Nick ate like a starving wolf, gulping down bite after bite. He was so focused on what laid on filling his belly, he didn't notice the pair of dark brown eyes watching him with satisfaction as he helped himself to a second plate.

"You're totally missing the point, Chip," Xander said. "Leelee's mom is hot. Like not hot for a mom, but hot-hot. I honestly envy of Toby for marrying her. She's the kind of woman who will be hot even when she's old."

"Yeah, like forty! The woman is an old hag!" Vida clinked her glass to one Xander held half raised in his hand and took a giggling zip of her soda.

Xander ignored her but Madison, on the other side of the former Pink Ranger, arched an eyebrow. Vida had been awfully giggly throughout the dinner. Nick wondered if she had slipped something from her parents' liquor cabinet into her soda. She had shown it to him on the way to the dining room, they would never notice if she had.

"You've seen her in her leather trousers, Chip. You can't possibly say you haven't looked! Never have a pair of slacks fitted anyone so well as Leelee's mom! I bet Toby has his hands full chasing off amorous Brazilians. I know I would have chased if had been there . . ."

"Eww, that's gross in so many ways." Vida shook her head.

"But that's you, Xander," Chip said. "Not everyone has their pheromone sensors switched on all the time. It's called have a life."

Xander open his mouth to defend himself but didn't get the chance before Chip suddenly yelped and jerked back in his chair. He had reached out to grab his fork when a jolt erupted from the cutlery. The lamp above their heads flickered.

"You okay, Chip?" Madison asked when everything had settled down again. Chip rubbed his hand, a slightly shocked expression on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, it just . . . hurt a bit."

"It was a big one this time." Xander looked pale as a sheet. Nick assumed he looked a little startled himself too. What just had happened to Chip wasn't the regular jolt you could get sometimes from a cart at the supermarket when it touched the shelves. This was bigger. Stronger. Nick had felt the energy ripple through the room. And lamp flickering . . .

They all turned their heads when a muffled noise came from their Pink friend. Vida fought to hold back a laughter, tears forming in her eyes of the effort. She pointed at Chip.

"Look at his hair!"

Three heads immediately turned the other direction and Vida burst out laughing. Chip's hair was standing straight out.

* * *

When dinner was over, Xander fetched a boardgame called Las Vegas.

The rules were simple. They were all given a set of eight dices, each set with a unique colour. Six small game boards, with classic Las Vegas prints, were places on the table between them. Each with a dice symbol on them showing the numbers from one to six. To every board, Vida dealt fake banknotes of different values in the span from 10'000 to 90'000 dollars until the sum at each cardboard reached 50'000 dollar or more. They all tossed one dice to determine first player.

Then, in turns, they tossed all of their dices at once, sorted them after value and decided on one value to place at the corresponding game board before the turned moved to the next player to roll his or her dices. You were allowed to add dices to the ones you had already placed at one of the game board but you weren't allowed to pass if the outcome of the dices didn't fit your agenda.

When all dices had been played, the player with the most dices at each board received the banknote with the highest value. The player with the second most dices got the second highest banknote, if there were one, and so on. If two players scored equal at one board, none of them received any money even if there were two banknotes. After three rounds, the player with the most money won.

The simple rules and the interactive set up quickly roused an excited mood in the room. They were laughing, screaming and cheering as the dices either helped them to gain or lose money. Nick couldn't remember when he had so much fun. Watching Vida and Xander duel over a banknote of 90'000 dollar had him laughing so much his stomach ached.

"What are you doing? That's my money!" Vida yelled when Xander added a dice to the two he already had on the board for fours, topping the Vida ones had placed there.

"Not anymore," Xander teased.

Vida took her remaining dices in the palm of her hands, closed them and started shaking.

"Please, give me a four. Please, give me a four."

The dices were released onto the table.

"Yes! Suck on that, plant-boy!"

The dices came out two fours, a five and a six. Xander groaned.

"And she gets two fours. I can't believe this."

Vida cheered and made a high-five with her sister. Nick and Chip chuckled on their side of the table.

Then it was Madison's turn. Nick had been careful throughout the game not to bet against her even if it meant losing money. He liked the smile that curved her lips whenever she struck three or four of the same value and didn't want to be the reason it didn't show itself.

Madison got another two which she added to the board for twos and the turn continued to Chip.

"Chip!" Vida and Xander yelled with one voice.

"It's unbelievable!"

"How rude!"

Chip laughed. Vida and Xander had been going for the threes as well as the fours, but now Chip triumphed by outnumbering their dices with his own on board for threes.

Nick glanced at Madison who was shaking her head. For a moment their eyes met.

"Nick, it's your turn. Don't you dare go for the fours."

Nick took Vida's warning seriously. He had played six of his eight dices already, four stood on the board for ones and two on the boards for six. Madison had her dices on the board for fives and was runner up on the twos.

"Not five, not five, not five," he whispered to himself, before releasing the dices.

He didn't get fives, but he got twos, making it a tie between Madison and himself which meant no money for either of them. He chanced a glance in Madison's direction, praying to himself she would understand he had no choice. Madison met his gaze and a faint smile curved her lips. Nick's heart took a leap.

"Nick, you really suck at games, do you know that?" Chip said as he handed out the money to the winner of each board. Nick coming up with nothing again.

Nick shook his head. He was prepared to lose a lot more if he could win Madison's affections again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Compromises and smouldering abs**

When the clock on the mantlepiece struck midnight, Madison announced with a yawn that it was time for her to go to bed. They had been playing board games all night and she was exhausted. The anxiety was draining her on energy as well as spirit.

Vida, who had just emptied her second cup of coffee with Nick, tried to persuade her to stay up a little longer but when Xander also announced he was heading for the bed, there was little the former Pink Ranger could do. Chip and Nick made no protests to head off to bed either seeing as they had spent the last hour watching Vida goofing around like an over-tired child.

Said and done, the Rocca sisters left the boys to make the beds in the living room while they snuck upstairs to get ready for the night.

"I'm not wearing that," Madison said flatly when Vida held up the midnight blue nightgown, she had purchased for her sister for this particular occasion.

"Why not?" Vida wondered. "It's _hot!_"

"Yes, and that's exactly why I won't be wearing it."

Vida frowned. "Because it's pretty?"

"Because I don't want to come off as desperate."

Madison headed over to her wardrobe. Behind her back, Vida rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, sis, you're the last person in the world anyone would call desperate. You are patience personified. Put it on!"

"No!"

"It will get Nick's attention."

"Another reason not to wear it." Madison scrolled down the piles of nightwear in search of something neutral to wear. She heard her bed creak when Vida flopped down on it next to the night gown and crossed her legs.

"I thought you wanted Nick's attention."

"Well, I did – do. I do," Madison muttered under her breath.

Finding what she was searching for, Madison pulled out a pyjama in baby blue flannel.

"You're not wearing _that_!" Vida shrieked when she saw what Madison held in her hand. "What are you, a nun or something?"

Madison snorted. Being twenty years old and still a virgin she might as well have been a nun.

"I'm going to wear this, it makes me feel comfortable," Madison told her sister.

"Yeah, and totally boring too. Come on, sis! We have the house to ourselves and three boys downstairs. Good looking boys at that. Now is not the right time to be prude."

When Vida saw in her sister's face that she wasn't going to budge that easily, Vida came over to the wardrobe and pulled down a knee-long robe in ivory silk.

"The nightgown and this, and you can't complain about it being too revealing. Grandma gave us these and you know how prude she is. I may have ruined mine but you have yet to wear yours. It will look great with the nightgown."

Madison made the fatal mistake of hesitating; Vida saw it and grabbed the doubt by the collar.

"Come on, sis! Don't you want to find out what if feels like to have boys' attention? Just for one night. Don't you want to find out if Nick is interested?"

Madison hated how her sister could read her like an open book. Of course, she wanted to know if Nick was interested in her!

Muttering curses, Madison snatched the robe out of her sister's hand and picked up the nightgown from the bed before marching to the bathroom. There was no way she would let her sister see how nervous she was. Vida was – so – going to pay for this.

Five minutes and a lot of affirmations to her reflection in the bathroom mirror later, Madison slipped out of the bathroom barefoot, dressed in the robe and nightgown. She had let her hair down from the pony tail and brushed it down over her shoulders. She had liked what she had seen in the mirror but it wasn't until she heard Vida's approving whistle behind her that she dared to feel confident.

"I almost feel sorry for Nick," Vida said with grin, "but then he did leave us after the final battle."

Madison blushed.

"Come on, you don't want to miss this!" Vida grabbed Madison's hand, leaving Madison no time to argue.

"Where are we going, sis?" Madison wondered while trying to close the robe with one hand.

Vida hushed her as they reached the staircase and gestured for Madison to keep a low profile and follow her. Madison did as she was told.

In the living room, the boys were done making the beds. Two on the couch and three on the floor. Vida had called dibs for her and Madison on the couch. Xander sat on the couch talking to Nick, who ransacked his bag, while Chip paced around the room.

"He is about to get changed," Vida whispered excitedly to Madison.

"Who is?"

Her question was answered a second later when Nick stripped down to his underwear. A blush so strong it could set something on fire broke out on Madison's cheeks. She wanted to look away, or sink through the floor, but she couldn't take her eyes off the strong thighs, the sculpted shoulders, or smouldering abs. Nick looked like a Greek god!

Next to her, Vida giggled, ogled and licked her lips.

"Told ya, you didn't want to miss this. My oh my, someone has spent his three months away at the gym. Yummy!"

Downstairs, Xander watched Nick getting changed too and shook his head.

"Show-off!" He told his friends with only a bucket full of envy. Gosh, the man was even more ripped now than during their days as rangers. How was that possible? "Seriously, with the soreness I'm having right now, I'll be pissed if I don't look like that in the morning."

He would. His days as Rock Porium's eye-candy were over. Mr Abs had returned to town and there was nothing Xander could do about it.

"Seriously," Chip said with a look at Nick's abs, "how much time have you spent at the gym? I work out almost every day with Daggeron but I don't look like _that_."

Nick shook his head. If only his friends knew how much heartache it was behind this body, they wouldn't have trade it with for anything in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: And so, it begins**

Nick woke up sweaty to a dark living room. Kicking the blanket off him, he poked at his phone to see what time it was. A little past 4 am. Nick groaned silently and rubbed his temples. Sleep had been restless and now he was wide awake. Even if he tried to, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep for hours to come. He should never had let Vida convince him to have that cup of coffee with her. Now he was doomed to lie here and stare up in the ceiling until morning.

He wished he had dared to strip down to underpants. It was incredibly warm inside the sleeping bag. The hearth was reduced to ember but it still gave off enough heat to have Nick wishing he had a bucket of water to throw at it. He pulled at his t-shirt to cool off, glancing to his right and to his left to make sure he had awoken anyone.

Xander snored somewhere in the pile of blankets next to him on the floor, heavy snores coming from deep within. Nick couldn't help but to think of an old tree complain to the wind. On his other side, Chip seemed to get no rest either. Twisting and turning, the ginger coloured hair crackling with static. Every now and then, the former Yellow Ranger moaned as if he was having bad dream.

Nick turned to look at the couch where the sister slept. Vida's arm hung over the bed, finger grazing the floor. She laid on her belly, drooling onto her pillow. Nick grinned. If ever there was a perfect moment for an embarrassing photo . . .

Nick lifted his head off the floor with a frown. Madison wasn't in her bed. The duvet had been pushed back as if she had got up to head to the bathroom. Nick waited several minutes but when no Madison showed, he decided to get up and look for her.

He didn't have to go far to find her. As soon as he stood up, he caught her standing by the huge panorama windows overlooking Briarwood and sea beyond. She stood there so still she might as well have been a statue, carved in the most luxurious marble. Dark locks of hair fell in rich waves down her shoulders, complimenting her pale complexion. She wore the midnight blue nightgown in silk with thin straps Nick had caught a glimpse of underneath her robe before they went bed. The garment hugged her body in all the right places. A man had gone mad for less. There was nothing Nick wanted more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

With a blush, Nick shook his head. What was he thinking? It was in the middle of the night and neither of them were properly dressed. If Mr Rocca knew what Nick secretly longed to do with his daughter, Nick would find himself on death-row!

Forcing himself to focus, Nick gathered his thoughts and turned them to a different matter than Madison's body. How long had she been standing there? Nick couldn't say but he guessed that if he were to touch the couch where she had been sleeping, he would find it cold.

He stepped away from the others as quietly as he possibly could. This could be the opportunity to talk with Madison one-on-one that he had been hoping for. He wasn't going to let anyone ruin that.

He approached her quietly and spoke even more softly.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"

His attempt not to spook her failed. Madison jumped and spun around to face him. For a moment she didn't seem to recognise him, then her face softened and she relaxed.

"I never sleep well when there's a storm coming in," she said without enthusiasm.

She turned her attention back to window. Nick didn't blame her. The view from up here was breath-taking. The rain had stopped falling just before midnight, leaving them a clear view of the city. Briarwood sparkled like diamonds in the pitch-black night. From east to west the streets lights twinkled at them. Nick could see skyscrapers reach for the heavens, the high-way snake east and the harbour glowing brightly. Even from here, Nick could clearly make out the huge fuel reservoirs. Like enormous marshmallows they stood in row after row.

Nick walked up to stand next to Madison, a little space between to not interfere with her comfort zone.

"It's powerful to watch, isn't it," he said after long moment of silence, "a storm coming in like this. I've never experienced one before. Bad weather, yes, but never an actual storm."

If Madison found that surprising, her face didn't show it. Nick continued:

"I've been told there was another storm, many years ago, which left heavy damage to the city. Will this one be as strong, do you think?"

"I don't know, maybe." Madison shifted weight uncomfortably and Nick wondered if he had miscalculated her comfort zone, but then she shook head and said, "I don't remember much of that storm. Vida and I were only infants at the time but we've heard the stories, like everyone who has grown up here. I can't say if this storm is going to be just as strong or stronger, only that it is . . . strong."

Nick picked up on her hesitation.

"You worried?"

"No."

The reply was meek and Nick knew she didn't believe it herself. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw her lick her lips and a sudden urge to lean forward and kiss the very same lips overwhelmed him. It was only by shear will he didn't give in for the urge.

Next to him, Madison tossed her hair restlessly.

"Dad has confidence in the house. He experienced the last storm first hand, being a police officer and all. If he didn't feel comfortable with us being on our own, he would have come home. Since he hasn't come it can't be that bad. We'll just stay inside and wait it out. And everything will be alright, right?"

It sounded like she was talking more to herself than to him.

"And yet, you're worried."

He saw Madison add deep wrinkles to her forehead.

"I am." She shook her head and sighed. "I don't know what it is. It's not a voice in the back of my head exactly, more like a feeling or a sensation. I've been feeling it for days. It's like something is poking me, trying to get my attention. It's this storm. It's . . . different. I can't explain it. This isn't a usual storm, it's strong but it is more than that too."

She sighed again and shifted weight from one foot to the other. She forced a chuckle. It sounded hollow.

"Never mind, I'm just being silly. How was your trip? How did your adoptive parents take the news of you finding your birth parents?"

Nick didn't like the change of subject, especially not when Madison so easily dismissed her own worries, but he let it pass for now with the promise to himself to keep an eye on her. He drew a deep breath.

"Not good, I'm afraid," he admitted. "My adoptive mother got upset and my adoptive father . . . well . . . let just say I don't think there will be a merry Christmas party with all of my parents anytime soon."

It was the understatement of the year. Nick's adoptive father had been furious when Nick broke the news and threatened to call the police to arrest Udonna and Leanbow as imposters. It had taken every trick in the book from Nick's and his adoptive mother's side to prevent him from doing so. After that, everything had become very frosty.

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

Nick looked up and caught Madison, for once, looking straight at him with her big dark eyes. She looked sincerely sorry.

"I know how much it meant to you find your birth parents. I can't imagine how difficult it must be having them not getting along and be stuck in the middle yourself."

In one swift sentence, Madison had managed to pin-point the things Nick hadn't been able to figure out on his own. He was stuck in middle, not wanting to take anyone's side but forced to listen to both sides behave like morons. All he wanted to was for his double set of parents to get along for his sake. He had worn an open wound all his life, now he wanted it to heal.

"Thank you," he whispered, voice thick with emotions.

Looking into her big beautiful brown eyes, Nick had so much he wanted to tell her. How sorry he was for leaving her, how sorry he was for not calling her while he was away, how extremely sorry he was for crashing into her life again without a warning . . .

A sudden flash of bright light was followed by a loud boom which made Nick and Madison jump like scared rabbits. Before either of them new it, rain came crashing down from the dark above, heavy drops smashing at the glass shielding them from the outside world. Another flash shortly followed the first across the sky, then another and the rumble rolled in from the sea like deafening waves.

"And so, it begins," Nick heard Madison whisper to herself. Something in the way she said it, in the knowing look on her face, made his skin crawl. There was indeed something about this storm.

"Wow, the was a brutal awakening," a voice said behind them. Nick and Madison turned their heads and saw Chip coming at them, awakened by the first lightning struck. Vida followed in his trail, eyes blurry with sleep and yawn so wide her jaw crack.

"And I who was having such a good dream" Vida grunted. "I dreamt that Xander brought a hot new date to the store, only she was a jealous sorceress who turned him into a poison ivy for looking at other girls."

Nick and Chip chuckled, Madison smiled.

"Is Xander awake, too?" Nick asked.

Chip shook his head. "Nope, sleeping like a log . . . What, V?"

Nick hadn't noticed until then, but Vida was giggling like a mad woman. Even Madison was smiling bemused. She pointed at Chip's head.

"Your hair is doing that thing again."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Long ears and fluffy tail**

From living room, the four friends headed to the kitchen to get something hot to drink to soothe the weariness. While waiting for the milk heat up on the stove, Vida fetched the cocoa powder from the cupboard and a handful of mugs, not the slightest aware of that she was humming 'row, row, row your boat' while doing so. Her friends sitting around the kitchen island, however, did notice.

"V, stop singing!" Nick covered his ears with his hands, cringing at each word.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a . . . oh, sorry, Nick."

At the kitchen island, Chip chuckled.

"Why so touchy, Nick, did they force you to sing it at kindergarten?"

"Yes!" Nick blurted out. "Like every single day. Gosh, I hate that song. My kindergarten teacher had an obscene obsession with having us sing ridiculous lullabies. She even forced us to dress up as bunnies once, long ears and fluffy tail."

"As much as I would have loved to see you dressed up as a bunny, Nick, I don't know if 'row, row, row your boat' qualifies as a lullaby . . ."

Nick gave his friend a glare. "Alright, an annoying song for children then."

Chip smirked and got an approving smile Madison. By the stove, Vida had to bit her lip to stifle a laugh. What was wrong with her lately? She had been awfully cheerful last night and today she was singing children songs!

The milk heated and Vida poured it into four of the five mugs standing on the counter next to her. Xander still hadn't woken up. Vida had been sure his eyes would flutter open the minute the moment she mentioned 'hot chocolate', but he slept like a baby.

She put cocoa powder into the mugs and stirred.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Nick," she said as she walked over to the kitchen island with the mugs. "I think we could find you a nice bunny suit for Halloween. Long ears and fluffy tail. Heck, Maddy and I might even accompany you."

Vida winked at her sister who arched her eyebrows in disapproval.

"Don't get me involved into this. I've already decided what I'm going to be on Halloween and it's not a fluffy bunny."

"Oh, do tell," Chip fluttered his eyes lashes. Madison ignored him.

Halloween was a sacred event for in the Rocca household. Ever since they were small, their parents had transformed the whole house into a haunted house and Vida and Madison had been allowed to invite all of their friends over for a night of candy and horror. It was party of the year and the costume its main attraction.

While Madison could spend week on designing and making her outfit, Vida would usually just go downtown and by something nice. As they got older and their parents had begun handing over the partying to Vida and Maddy to deal with on their own, nice had slowly transformed into slutty for Vida's part. Last year, Vida had been a sexy rock'n'roll mummy with a pair of nude coloured panties and bra as only piece of clothing covering her body. In comparison, Madison had looked like a nun in her water nymph dress.

"I wasn't talking about the fluffy kind of bunny, Maddy. I was thinking the adult version."

Like expected, a heated blush broke out on Madison cheeks. She tried to hide it by taking a sip of her drink, but Vida saw it. And so, did Nick. Green eyes lingering, longing, wanting. Vida smirked; he was so besotted in Madison.

Besotted? That was a word she rarely used. Besotted, besotted, besotted . . . it sounded so British. Vida giggled down in her cup. The hot chocolate she had made was delicious.

A strong gust of wind swept across the lawn. The glass in the window panes creaked alarmingly when it hit the house.

"Perhaps it's time to pull the shutters close," Madison spoke in barely more than whisper. They all knew what she was thinking. It was too soon. The storm wasn't due yet. If the news were to be believed, the storm wouldn't reach the coast in another twenty-four hours. For the wind to pick up this much already . . .

Vida tried to shake of the anxiety.

"Scaredy cats," she teased the others. "What is a little wind, anyway? Scared it will mess up your hair?"

She reached out to rub Chip's hair but retrieved her hand again before even touching him, fingers aching from a sudden electrical charge coming from Chip.

"Ouch! Chip that wasn't nice!"

Vida rubbed her hand.

"I could say the same thing," Chip grunted, patting his head. "Why did you do that for? Now, look what you did! Now it's all a mess again."

He pointed at his head where his hair was once again rose to spike in every direction. Each strand of hair searching the air like tentacles. Vida broke down in a fit of laughter.

Chip shook his head, the cloud of hair around his head bobbing.

"You'll find me in the bathroom," he said to Nick and Madison who looked between him and Vida with blank expression on their face. "Yell if you need help with the shutters."

He stood and left the room.

A new gust of wind found it way across the lawn and knocked on the kitchen windows, stronger this time.

Nick turned to Madison. "We should probably get going with the shutters. If the windows are creaking in here, then that panorama window of yours must be on the brink of bursting."

Madison nodded and put away her mug on the kitchen island. She gave Vida one last puzzled look before heading after Nick into the living room. Once they were gone, Vida started to hum again.

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The old tree**

Xander woke up with a groan. His whole body was aching. Not the razor sharp this-is-not-a-good-kind-of-pain but more like gentle throbbing pain like the one you got after good long hard work out at the gym. The only problem was, Xander hadn't been visiting a gym for weeks and yet his muscles felt like they had all become an inch or so too short. How was that possible?

He had deliberately left all the heavy lifting to Nick. And he had sent Chip up on the ladder to clean the drain pipes from leaves, so how his legs could be hurting was beyond his imagination. Xander knew he hadn't kept his ranger body in shape since the final battle but this was ridiculous. In a few short months he couldn't have lost that much, could he?

Xander frowned in the warmth of his sleeping bag. The throbbing pain made him tired. He wanted nothing else than to go back to sleep but he had feeling he had already been sleeping a very long time. And the mattress was uncomfortable too, so very uncomfortable. His butt had sunken right through and laid resting on the floor. Adjusting his position did not help much. And his shoulder hurt in a way that had him suspecting it too had been resting on the floor for an extensive period of time. The best thing he could probably do was to get up and get on with his day.

At least, he thought it was day. The room laid in complete darkness with shutters pulled close before the huge panorama window. When had that happened? He heard the wind moan outside. It had picked up strength considerably since last night, that's for sure. Xander glanced around and saw immediately that Nick's bed was empty. The same went for Chip's. Xander sat up with a curse. Even the girls were up.

Xander searched for his phone, found it and flicked it on. His eyes widened. 11 am! Holy moly, he had been sleeping alright!

With the agility of a 90-year-old, Xander scrambled out of bed, blinking away sleep from his eyes. He heard voices somewhere in the distance and remembered the Rocca family had a separate TV-room in the adjoining wing. Before he went to search for his friends, though; Xander decided to make up for is late awakening by changing into proper clothes and brushing his teeth. Seeing himself in the mirror made him regret that choice, though – he looked a mess. Dark circles had formed underneath his eyes, his hair had lost its colour and he looked as pale as the queen of the vampires. How could this be? It was only yesterday he had been complimented by a female customer for his golden tan.

Xander found his friends lounging the in the TV-room. Or at least Chip, Nick and Vida were lounging. Madison was standing by the window, which had not been covered with the shutter yet, miles away in thoughts. They were watching the news.

"_What looked like being a rough couple of days ahead, now seems to be a rough couple of hours. Never in my 30 years as weather forecaster have I seen a storm coming in this fast. It's like it's being pulled . . ." _

"Hey, looks who's finally returned from the dead!" Chip's shout out drowned the weather forecaster's voice and Xander couldn't hear the last part of the sentence. The little he had heard made him shift uncomfortably.

"Has Sleeping Beauty slept well?" Vida teased with a giggle.

In normal circumstances Xander would have gritted his teeth, but he was too sore and too distracted by what the forecaster had said that he ignored Vida's invite for a friendly gibbering.

"I've been sleeping like a log." Vida laughed out loud at the word 'log' which had Chip arching an eyebrow at her. Xander ignored her altogether and turned to Nick. "How long have you guys been up?"

"Since before dawn," Nick replied with a long look over his shoulder.

Xander picked up on it and followed it to Madison who seemed oblivious to the rest of them being in the room. There was something there. Had something happened between his Red and his Blue friend while he was asleep? And what was up with Madison anyway? Xander could understand why she had been moping around while Nick was away but since his return, she had been so . . . aloof.

Xander shook his head. He wasn't sure he wanted to know and he knew women well enough now not to ask them directly why they were behaving strange. It would only end in pain for himself.

"You okay, X?" Nick asked when Xander made it across the floor to sit down on the couch next to him, taking for ever to sit down. Was this how it would be like when he got old? If so, Xander never wanted to be old. The soreness was killing him!

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little stiff from sleeping on the floor half the night. My mattress is leaking." Nick opened his mouth to say something but Xander quickly interrupted him by saying: "What's up with the telly?"

Nick and Chip turned to look at the tv-screen were interference smudged the news caster's face.

"Don't know," Chip replied with a shrug. "Some disturbance from the storm, I suppose. It's been like this all morning."

Xander nodded.

"Any news about the storm? I thought I heard them saying the storm is coming in fast."

"Yeah, like superfast and it has grown in intensity too. The authorities are expecting heavy damage to the coastline despite their efforts to protect it. They say the waves are up to 50 ft out at sea."

Xander whistled. He didn't know much about the weather out at sea but 50 ft sounded a lot.

Vida still giggling like she had been told the world's funniest jokes gasped for air which stole Chip's attention. Xander took the opportunity to catch a moment alone with Nick.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he asked, trying to leave the accusation out of his voice.

"We tried to but you slept so heavily it didn't matter what we did. Vida even slapped you at one point . . ."

"Slapped me?" Xander looked over to Vida who was still trying to stifle her giggle. "Why would you slap me?"

To himself, Xander frowned. He wasn't a light sleeper but he wasn't a heavy sleeper either. If he hadn't woken up when Vida had slapped him then . . .

"Don't be such a cry-baby, Xander. You didn't miss much."

"Ouch!"

Vida had reached across Nick to nudged Xander playfully on the shoulder but the pain ripping through Xander's body was everything but playful. Xander gasped in pain.

"You okay, X?" Nick wondered.

He, Chip and Vida were all staring at Xander with confusion. Even Madison had forced her eyes off the window to look at him. Xander rubbed his shoulder and put on a brave smile.

"V just hit a sore spot, that's all. Gee, never thought lifting boxes would be so hard on me."

Chip and Vida bought the lie, Nick looked sceptical and Madison . . . well, she simply turned back to the window and her troubled thoughts.

Something was definitely up with her, Xander decided. She looked sad. Had something happened between her and Nick that no one had told him about? Had Nick turned her down?

Before Xander had the chance to dwell on that possibility, Vida jumped up from the couch. No longer able to sit still.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm dying for more chocolate. Does anyone else want a mudcake-in-a-cup?"

Chip's hand shot up immediately. "Oh, me, me, me!"

Vida grinned and the pair quickly headed towards the kitchen. The moment Chip left the room, the interference disrupting the image on the TV cleared and the picture turned razor sharp. Xander exchanged a puzzled look with Nick who returned it just as puzzled. Something was definitely up and perhaps Xander would have dwelled on it more if the thought of chocolate had sounded so appealing.

"Mmm, chocolate sounds delicious."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: A piece of the puzzle**

Xander rose with difficulty from the couch and headed after the others out of the room. As Madison tried to follow in his wake, Nick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside.

"I think you're right, Maddy," he whispered in her ear, "there is something about this storm."

Madison stopped her attempt to break free from his grip and blinked confused.

"What do you mean?"

Nick pulled her closer to the windows, out of sight from the others in case they returned to see what had happened to them.

"I think the storm is somehow affecting us, more specifically our elements. At first, I thought I was only imagining it but you guys are all acting strange. I've been watching you all morning. You're not yourselves."

Madison frowned.

"In what way are we not ourselves?"

Nick pursed his lips, trying to choose the right words.

"Remember how you told me you could 'sense' the storm coming?"

Madison nodded.

"Well, your element is water. Water is known to carry sounds over long distances, maybe it can carry more than just sounds. The sea is practically a creature of its own and the storm has been building up out at sea over the last week. I wouldn't be surprised if your element has picked up on the sea's worry and made you worry too. You said you've been feeling anxious."

Madison nodded but it was a slow nod, like she was trying lay the puzzle Nick was giving her the pieces to. Nick decided to help her farther.

"And think about what just happened when Chip left room. His element is electricity. Last night he was having difficulties with his hair pointing in every direction, just like he had been rubbing a balloon to his head. Today, we had difficulties getting a clear picture on the TV but the moment Chip walked out of the room, the picture suddenly cleared."

Madison bit her lip and rubbed her arms like she was cold. Nick had to put restraint on himself not to pull her into his arms.

"It wasn't a coincidence, was it?" She met his gaze and her heart leapt. She quickly shifted weight from one foot to the other to let him think she was uncomfortable rather than swooned. "It does explain Xander's soreness. Unless he didn't suddenly become the busy bee after I left, he didn't do enough at the store yesterday to deserve a soreness like that. He must be picking up the pain from the trees. And Vida has been awfully cheerful to be herself.

Nick chuckled and a cute blush appeared on his cheeks.

"I thought she was drunk last night."

"She was. There's vodka missing from the liquor cabinet." Madison smiled and shook her head as if shaking off a funny thought. "But Vida isn't the kind who giggles when she's drunk. She gets hysterical and cries over nothing. If she was just drunk last night it is more likely she would have been crying over her hair not being the right shade of pink rather than dancing to herself singing romantic love songs."

Nick arched his eyebrows in amused surprise. This was new information. It hit him that he had never been out partying with his friends. Not even after the Master had been defeated had he joined in on the celebration, instead he had taken his bike and drove out of town with Udonna and Leanbow.

"I'd like to see that sometime," he chuckled, at the same wondering what kind of drunk-personality Madison had.

"If your theory is correct," Madison said as they headed out of the room to join the other. "Why aren't you affected?"

Nick could only think of one answer to that question.

"There isn't a fire."

He was about to add "yet" when Madison spun around so suddenly, Nick almost walked right into to her.

"We need to tell the others. They have the right to know what's going on."

"Do you think that's wise?" Nick wondered. "It's not like they can do anything about it."

"Perhaps not, but I feel a little calmer now knowing I'm not going crazy. The others have probably sensed something is wrong too. Even if they can't do anything about it than maybe they will feel a little calmer knowing what's happening to them isn't their fault."

Nick couldn't argue with that. If he had been Chip or Vida or Xander, he too would have liked to know. He wouldn't have liked being kept in the dark.

"Okay, let's them. Together?"

Madison smiled and nodded. "Together."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A cup of undercooked mudcake**

"That's just ridiculous," Vida snorted and shoved a large chunk of mudcake into her mouth. "I'm not giggling schoolgirl, I'm just happy we're all together again. It's nothing wrong with that."

"V, you were singing 'row, row, row your boat' this morning! Last night, it was love songs. The cheesy ones!"

Madison could tell by the tone in Nick's voice that he was getting frustrated. Telling their friends had not gone the way they had expected it to. Instead of listening, Vida had gotten defensive. What Chip and Xander, they didn't know because Vida hadn't let them speak.

"Why is it so wrong if I sing? It's not you guys have done anything to make this weekend fun. Seriously, why did you all come if you're not interested in hanging out? I had other things I could have done while waiting out this storm. Pardon me, if I put them on hold to be with you guys . . ."

"Sis," Madison interrupted diplomatically. "What Nick is trying to say it's not our fault we're behaving the way we do. The storm is affecting our elements."

"And of course, you would believe him," Vida snapped, "Have you forgotten he left you there on the street . . ."

"Cut it, V." Xander gave Vida a sharp glare, turned to Nick he added: "Talk. How is the storm affecting us?"

Nick explained the things he had noticed since he came to house last night. Madison listened in awe. She had forgotten what a dedicated leader he could be when he needed to, his attention to details. She hadn't realised how sad she had seemed to the others. To her, she had only wanted to listen to the storm.

"I wish I could make you watch yourself with my eyes. I've seen the changes in all of you since I got here last night, perhaps even before then."

Madison knew Nick said that with her mind. She didn't dare to meet his eyes. He must have thought she was pushing him away.

"You're not yourselves, and I don't blame you. There is something about this storm. Maddy says she has felt it coming for days which have me wondering if the storm is magical."

"Magical?" Chip repeated. "You mean, like, we could have our powers back?"

"I don't know, Chip," Nick replied truthfully. "Maybe and maybe not. We lost our powers during the final battle - I, for one, do not need to have them back – but we have never been separated from our elements. The elements are a part of us, just as we are of them. Our powers, as I see them, was only a temporary deeper connection with our elements to protect the magical world. When the threat subsided, so did our powers."

Madison glanced at Nick. Why didn't he want to have his powers back? Did she want her back? In the months since the final battle, she hadn't thought about it once.

Next to her, Xander poked his mudcake thoughtfully with the spoon. By the looks of the dark gooey mass, it was undercooked as usual when Vida made it. More of a batter than actual cake.

"Let's say you're right and it is the storm causing our strange behaviours – yes, yours too, V," Xander said with a glance at Vida just as she was about to open her mouth to protest. "What can we do about it? What will happen to us when the eye of the storm hit?"

"We don't know," Madison said. She felt it was time to give Nick some back up. "As far as we can tell, our 'symptoms' will get worse the closer the eye of the storm gets."

Xander groaned.

"You're telling me this soreness will get worse? I can't barely move as it is. What will happen if a tree snaps outside, will my leg snap too?"

Madison and Nick looked at each other. That was a disturbing possibility they hadn't thought of.

Sighing, Xander threw up his hands in surrender and said: "Well, if things are getting worse then I should probably go and lie down before I break myself."

They watched him loom away with his head hanging low. Madison felt pity for him. He had been looking forward to this weekend as much as the rest of them had.

"We should probably keep an eye on him," Nick whispered to her.

Madison nodded. The idea of Xander's bones snapping kind of freaked her out.

"Come on, guys, let's regroup in the living room."

"Just a sec," Chip said, "I . . ."

_Pang!_

Without warning the lamp above their head shattered in a million of pieces and the whole house turned pitch black. It happened so quickly; Madison barely registered what happened.

When Chip had told them to wait, he had raised the hand he held spoon with a little too high and accidently touched the lamp. An electric jolt had flashed in the short moment of contact, which had short circuit the whole house.

Standing in the darkness, Chip looked at the spoon with wide eyes and hair standing in every direction.

"What the . . ."

Footsteps echoed behind them and Xander returned to the kitchen.

"Hey, guys, the power just went out . . ." He trailed off when he caught the shocked faces of his friends standing in utter darkness, surrounded by a sea of shattered glass.

"Do you believe me now, V?" Nick wondered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The eye of the storm**

"Any luck?" Madison asked when Nick and Vida returned from the garage.

"Nope," Vida sighed and flopping down on the couch so hard that Xander next to her winced. "We found a new plug but nothing. Chip must have fried something in the wiring. Don't touch anything Chip!"

The last part she said directly to Chip who was just coming back from the kitchen where he had been sweeping the floor from glass.

"Chill V, it's not just us. The power has gone all over town. There must have been a lightning strike at the power station or something. If you look out the window you can't even see harbour anymore."

A loud thud echoed through the room. Something had hit the shutters of the panorama window. Nick wasn't surprised, the wind had grown vastly stronger just in the few minutes he and Vida had been out in the garage. The eye of the storm was upon them.

"It's a good thing you closed those shutters you did," Xander said from the couch.

Silence filled the room. Nick looked from one person to the next. The severity of the situation slowly dawning on them. This was it.

"Is everyone feeling, okay?" Nick asked. "Vida?"

Vida had been tapping her foot restlessly. She seemed to fighting an urge to move.

"I'm okay," she replied, shaking her shoulders. "It's just so hard being still. Gah! I want to dance, or run or . . . something . . . everything but being still."

"Move if you have to but be careful. We don't need a storm inside the house." Nick turned to Chip. "How about you?"

The former Yellow Ranger hadn't managed to make his hair lie flat again after the incident in the kitchen. It stood out, each strand of hair searching for something in the air like tentacles. Nick knew better than to touch it, however tempting it was, it would only end up with him being scorched.

"I'll be fine as long as don't touch anything. Maddy gave me these."

He held up a pair of thick rubber gloves. Nick didn't know what they were used for but he knew rubber was a poor conductor of electricity. With the gloves on, they might just see through the night without any more incidents.

"Maddy, X?"

Xander's groan was answer enough. He's face pale with pain. Madison, who was kneeling on the floor at Xander's feet, bit her bottom lip. Anxiety reading all over her face. The urge of hauling her into his arm returned. Nick had to take a slow deep breath to suppress it.

"I'll be alright, I'm more worried about Xander." She met Nick's gaze. "Could you go upstairs and see if you can find something for the pain? There is a medicine cabinet in the bathroom."

Nick nodded and grabbed a flashlight Vida had brought with her from the garage.

"Sure, I'll be right back. Just hang in there Xander."

He waited until he was out of sight from the other before he darted upstairs. The last thing they needed was to see their leader running scared. And he was scared. His team was suffering and there was nothing he could do to help them other than to encourage them to sit tight. The eye of the storm was on them, within an hour or two, things should start to calm down. At least, that was what Nick hoped. He had never waited out a storm before, he didn't know how long it would take for its intensity to decrease.

Xander's groan from downstairs, chased Nick down the corridor. He didn't know which door led to the bathroom so he opened them all. The first door he opened led to a bedroom used for storage. Boxes of clothes and school books stood everywhere. The next room he opened the door to was without a doubt Vida's bedroom. Clothes laid all over the floor, a huge stereo stood in the corner by the window and their walls were papered in poster of various DJs.

Something smelled funny, too. Nick wrinkled his nose and noticed a pair of black boots laying among the clothes.

"Ah, foot sweat, nice one, V!"

He closed the door and headed to the next. Jackpot! He had found the bathroom.

Less than a minute later, Nick returned to the dark corridor with a package of pain killers in his hand. He was just about to head back downstairs when something familiar at the corner of his eyes caught his attention. A door stood slightly opened farther down the corridor. Nick pointed his flashlight in that direction and saw his baby blanket poking out from underneath a pillow.

_Maddy's room . . ._

Nick pressed his lips together. He had always been curious about the inside of Maddy's room. He believed seeing it would reveal something about the enigma she was. Madison was shy and secretive but in the shelter of her own room she would not hide.

Moans from downstairs made Nick hesitate. Xander was probably exaggerating his pain to get more attention. Besides, he would only take a quick look.

Nick approached the door.

Unlike her sister's room, Madison's room was tidy and smelled pleasantly of clean cotton. The walls were in a soft shade of blue, the carpet a fluffy white. He saw a bed and a wardrobe, a desk and a bookshelf. On the far end of the room, a window was overlooking the backside garden. A rocking chair stood just underneath it with a side table overloaded with books. Nick smiled. He could see Madison sitting there, reading, all wrapped up the knitted blanket hanging over the armrest, while a soft summer rain hammered the window.

Nick took a couple of steps into the room. He saw her camera standing on the desk and remembered how his harsh words to her about hiding behind it had gotten her turned into stone when the truth was, he had been the one hiding. From the moment he had laid eyes on her, he had been in love with her. He just hadn't known how to deal with it.

He walked over to the bed and pulled out the baby blanket from underneath Madison's pillow. It was flattering to know she was still keeping it close. Treasuring it. Maybe there was hope . . .

"I wasn't sure if you wanted it back, or not," a voice suddenly said behind him.

Nick spun around, his heart in his throat and eyes big as a reindeer's caught in the headlights. Madison stood on the threshold, watching him with her dark beautiful eyes.

Nick felt like such an idiot. Why had he walked into her room without permission? He might as well read her diary, too!

"I'm sorry," he stammered and put down the blanket on the bed. "I saw the door was open and . . ."

And what? He just had to peek inside?

"I'm sorry," he said again.

Madison approached him, shrugging her shoulders. When she didn't say anything, just picked up the baby-blanket Nick had dropped on the bed, he began to get really nervous. Was she angry with him for trespassing? He knew he would have been if someone had entered his room without permission back at his adoptive parents' house. His room was his sanctuary. No one was allowed there unless he wanted them there.

He watched Madison turn the blanket over in her hands, soft hands caressing the red fabric which had held him sheltered as a child. It felt . . . intimate, somehow. Like she was caressing him.

"I'm surprised you kept it," he said, at last. "I would have understood if you had thrown it away."

Madison took her time answering.

"That would have been a waste. It's a good blanket. Udonna did a great job weaving it."

Nick blinked. It had never occurred to him that the blanket was handmade, nor that his birth mother had done it with her own hands.

"Maddy . . ." he begun to say but quieted as Madison's head snapped up to meet his eyes.

"Was it all just a joke to you?"

Nick stumbled backward. The serenity gracing her before was gone and instead he saw hurt in her eyes. The very same dark beautiful eyes he had dreamt of while being away were suddenly blank with tears.

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" Madison held up the blanket. "Was this some kind of sick joke for you to keep me hanging? Never knowing if you were to come back or not. Well, was it?"

Nick didn't notice she was cornering him until he felt the desk touching his back. Before him, Madison stood furious, beside herself with hurt and anger. Yet, she managed to look more beautiful than ever before. She was a mermaid, a Ranger, a warrior, a ruler . . .

"No, Maddy, it wasn't . . ."

"Then why didn't you call? Three months you were gone and you didn't call me once! Do you know how that feel? Three freakin' months dangling!"

Nick held up his hands to fend off the blanket she threw at him, happy she hadn't gone for something harder. Or heavier.

"Maddy . . ." he spoke softly.

He knew better than to get wind-up himself. Madison had every right to be hurt and angry with him. He had let her dangling because he was too much of a coward to step forward and tell her how he felt. And now there was this storm raging above their head, adding to the madness. He could see it in her eyes, they were black with uncontrolled rage – the wrath of the sea.

"I never meant to hurt you, Maddy," he said between the loud booms of thunder. "I wanted to call, trust me, I did. I dialled your number every single day . . ."

"But you never pressed 'call', did you?"

Madison's voice was sharp as a whip. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She didn't bother wiping them away.

"Why did you come back? Do you want to hurt me some more, is that it?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Madison. I never want to hurt you . . ."

"Lair!" Madison yelled at the same time thunder struck outside. The force shook the house and a rage so forceful it overwhelmed him, overpowered him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Heat**

Madison saw the transformation happen in his eyes. From one moment to the next, Nick was gone and fire took his place instead. His eyes shone of the brightest of flames. Instinct forced Madison to withdraw several steps before her back hit the wardrobe.

Nick stood motionless. Breathing ever so slowly, in and out in rage. His muscles tensed and relaxed, tensed and relaxed again. She could feel his anger, so white and pure she would be scorched before even touching it. For a moment she was terrified to do anything other than listening to growl coming from deep within him.

There must be a fire somewhere, she thought gloomily to herself. Nothing else explained the sudden shift. The thunder she had heard, it must have struck somewhere.

An acrid smell reached Madison's nostrils. It smelled burnt. She realised the smell came from Nick. Nick was burning.

Fear caught her by the throat and Madison gasped in panic. Nick was going to burst into flames! She could already see strings of smoke emerging from his clothes, thicker by the second. And heat, it was getting hotter too . . .

_Do something, Maddy! _

"Nick . . ." Her voice sounded strained. She coughed and spoke again, "Nick."

His nostrils flared and his gaze found her, spiking her to the wardrobe. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't move.

"Nick, it's me, Maddy."

She heard the growl again, seeping up through his throat like poison. He stared at her, his eyes penetrating her skull. He radiated to so much rage, so much hatred . . . It was unbearable.

"Listen to my voice," she said softly. "Your element is playing tricks on you. Remember? The storm. It is not your rage. Fight it."

Nick growled and took a step towards her. A wave of heat brushed against her face. Madison licked her lips and swallow. This was insane. A moment ago, she had been the one lashing out, now the roles were reversed and unlike Nick who had stood there and let her shower him with her pain, she was more than a little afraid of what would happen if he did the same to her.

"Nick, listen to me. You need to calm down or you'll set the house on fire. You'll hurt me and the others. You don't want that."

Nick took another step towards her and another wave of heat brushed against her skin. Madison bit her lip to not yelp in pain. A little closer and she would burn alive.

"Nick, please!" she pleaded.

But Nick didn't seem to hear her. He came close, each step threating to burn her. Nothing she said or did seemed to reach him. Standing between her and the bedroom door, Madison had nowhere to go.

"Please, Nick . . ."

Madison knew her options were running out. As was her life. She couldn't breathe properly because of the heat. If she didn't do anything soon . . .

In a pang of desperation, Madison did the only thing she could think of. Not wanting to die with the regret of never letting Nick know how she felt, she hurled herself at him, pressing her lips against his.

She waited for the pain to come, the agonising sensation of her body bursting into flames, but the pain never came. Instead . . .

Raw passion surged through her body from their joined lips. Her body tensed, as did Nick's. Like two magnets, they were drawn to each other.

Madison felt life rush through her body. Energy so intense she wanted to laugh. For the first time in her life, she felt whole. A part of her she hadn't known been missing had finally fallen into place. She wanted to sing, she wanted to dance, and she wanted to cry all at the same time. Most of all, she wanted to taste more of Nick.

When she renewed the kiss, Madison tried brush the tip of her tongue across Nick's bottom lip the way she had heard the other girls in her class whispering about in the locker room after gym class. The response was immediate. With a growl, Nick invaded her mouth with his own tongue, claiming her as a hunter claims his prey. And Madison was all too happy to let herself be claimed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she parted her lips some more, letting him know exactly how she felt.

Only when her back slammed into the wardrobe, Nick had forced her backwards, did they break apart for some much need oxygen. Nick pressed against her with all of his weight, making it difficult to breathe, but Madison found herself not minding it one bit. She finally understood what those romantic novels she had read in secrecy when Vida wasn't home to pester her about it were talking about. This moment could have been ripped right off any of them. The hot guy, the passionate kissing, the sexy nightgown – oh, she was _so_ going to thank Vida for persuading her to wear the nightgown. Flannel was comfortable as hell but it just didn't have the same sexappeal as silk nightgown.

Madison looked up to meet Nick's gaze. The fire was gone but the heat was still there. His heat. Nick.

"Come back to me, Nick," she whispered, her lips only inches apart from his. His hot breath tickling her chin. He was still growling. A soft purr that worked magic on her female parts.

"Always, Maddy, always."

Nick claimed her mouth again, inviting her tongue to a wrestling match. Madison felt so happy she could die right there on the spot. Nick loved her!

Need and wanting kicked decency out of the window. As if having it's on will, Madison felt her right leg slowly slide up to Nick's hip where he secured it with an iron grip around her thigh. Blood pounded in Madison's ears. She was about to surrendering completely to her feminine instincts when suddenly – bright light flickered around them and the room lit up.

Madison and Nick broke apart like two repellent magnets. Two hot and flustered magnets. They tilted their heads to stare dumbfoundedly at the lamp above their head.

"There you are!" a voice said behind them. "Look what I can do!"

Chip stood in the doorway with his hand on the light switch and huge grin across his face.

"My powers are back!"


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Fire and Water**

Chip woke up to silence at lunch the following day. The storm had subsided sometime during the early hours and the outside world was tranquil once more. Only a dictatorial breeze lingered still.

Yawning, Chip tried to stretch his limbs. Sleeping on pillows on the floor wasn't good for one's back but it was inevitable when the couch was occupied. A heavy weight forced his legs down. Looking through sleepy eyes, he caught a glimpse of Vida's dark messy hair among the blankets and pillows. She laid sprawling across both him and Xander. Strange, since Chip was very much sure she had laid between on the other side of Xander when they had fallen asleep.

Chip couldn't help but to grin though. Asleep Vida looked nothing like the fierce rebel she was awake. If Chip hadn't known better, he would have said she looked like quite the angel. Not that he would ever tell Vida that, of course. He did want to live after all.

Still grinning stupidly to himself, Chip turned his head to look at the couch where Nick and Madison had been getting cosy last night. The pair was sound sleep, Nick spooning Madison from behind. Arms and legs a tangle. Picture perfect of a young couple very much in love.

Chip arched an eyebrow when he noticed the bare shoulder on the arm wrapped protectively around Madison's waist. Just as the storm had subsided during the storm, so had Nick's shirt mysteriously evaporated. The blanket had been brushed off the snuggly couple while they were still telling each other ghost stories.

A downside of being fire born, Chip supposed. Always too hot.

Rubbing his face to waken himself, Chip remembered the slightly chaotic events of last night. In the midst of the raging storm, a lightning bolt had decided to hit a fuel reservoir down at the harbour, causing an explosive fire to break out. From what Madison had told them afterwards, its wrath had triggered Nick's element to awaken in the most forceful way. Madison hadn't been too detailed about what happened upstairs but she had let them know that if she hadn't been there, she and Vida would have been homeless.

Nick hadn't said anything at all, apart from growling whenever Madison got too far away from him. While the fire fighters had struggled to keep the fire down at the harbour at bay; Chip, Madison, Vida and Xander had struggled to keep Nick's powers at bay. Who knew trying to keep a friend from burning down the house was so tiresome! They had tried all sorts of things, putting him in the shower, pouring him a bath, even forcing him outside in the storm, but the only thing that seemed to have any calming effect at all on his temper was Madison. And she didn't mind to have Nick glued to her side one bit.

Chip hadn't told Vida nor Xander what he had walked in on upstairs and maybe that was for the best. Xander would probably just cheer the couple on to keep exploring the depths of their relationship but Vida would definitely freak if she ever learnt what Madison had allowed Nick to do to her. Chip was quite shocked himself. The innocent little good-girl was not so innocent after all. Nick would not have much to complain about.

Chip was happy, though. Fire and water were reunited again. Balance ruled once more. As for his own powers, Chip snapped his fingers and the lamp on the side table lit up . . .


End file.
